The South western news., 1887-06-15
ering in inland Brazil.

July l. The Brazil crop is estima.
ted at from 1850, zoe to A, 500, 900
bxgs' The expectation a year ago
was a crop Of from 5000, 600 to
100000 bags. A shortage of
1000, 900 bags from Brazil will
Keep prices where they now are.
The crop in java also is short,
In Ceylon the Leaf disesse has re-
duced the production by at least
one half Thus the supply of the
very best coffee is sure to be small>
er for this year than it has been
for a generation.
To-day the highest figures
are paid for Mysore coffee, and it is
considered the best grown. Nysore
iSa part of upper British India,
and the cultivation of the berry is
entirely under the European con.
troll. Thus far the leaf disease
which has spread such havoc in
Java and Ceylon, has left British
India alone; but bow long it will
do SO it is hard to cay. All at
tempts to grapple with this disease
have proved fruitless. and if it ever
puts in its appearance in Brazil
the days of coffee drinking will be
numbered. There are those who
believe that unless the leaf disease
can be grsT pied with successfully,
it is only question OF time when
a cup of of coffee will be as great a
luxury as bottle of champagne.
Whether or not the juice will
be maintained at SO high a figure
will depend much on the future
of speculation. The only coffee
exchange in the country is that in
New York, which now has a great
boom. The fever is higher than
ever before in the history of the
trade. There is no more gambling
in it than in any other grocery
staple. The present uncertain out
look of the supply has brought out
siders into the speculation. Syn
dicates have been often formed to
bull the market. but in the major
ity Of cases they have failed. The
syndicate of 1883, after costing
the consumers of cufee over So,
900, 900, lost more than it made,
aud brought down several large
houses. The principle members of
that syndicate was Havre and Rio
houses, with some New York firms
added.
The present syndicate which is
booming prices is composed of New
York, French and Brazilian
houses, and is by far the strongest
ever formed. There are, however,
other outside houses which are
bulls on the situation, and several
have made a good round sum al
ready. Mess. Hard & Band, who
do not speculate in option, but are
the largest importers of coffee in
this country, have melted anywhere
from $500, 900 to $3.50, 00G. If we
consider that a bag of coffee which
a year ago wOs worth say s1S is
to-day worth 800, the greatest ad.
vance having taken place within
the last six weeks. the above esti-
mate is not unreasonable, if it ia
not entirely too small. Arnold,
the old coffee king has had his
share of the spoils, and so has
SelligSberg, who acted for the de.
unct syndicate in 1888.
The Arbucles, who are the larg-
est distributors of coffee in the
world, must have netted at least
$500, 900, although they were not
bulls on the market. This sum
they have made in the ordinary
run OF trade. otton brokers aud
and even Wall street financiers
have come into the option market,
as the activity on the Coffee Ex>
change has been for some time
more attractive than either cotton
or stocks. What the actual re.
suits of the present speculative
craze will be it IS hard to say; but
if the present conditions continue,
the consumers of the chief coffee
drinking countries will have to
pay this year about $4,000, OOC
more for the cup than they have
ever paid any previous year.
English women consider full
kilt or box-pleated skirt Of silk OF